But faced with abject poverty and an ailing husband, viewers will see how ruthlessly determined she is to pursue a better life - marrying men before killing them in order to take their money and move on.

ITV’s director of drama Steve November and controller of drama Victoria Fea said: “Dark Angel is an extraordinary and chilling true story.

“We’re delighted to have an actress of Joanne Froggatt’s calibre in the lead role. The combination of a tautly written script, an outstanding cast and great producers in World Productions make this a really exciting addition to the ITV drama slate.”

The first episode of Dark Angel will air on ITV on Monday, October 31 at 9pm.